Parents value Kiddofy because we focus entirely on connecting children with great Web content in a safe environment. We do this by curating exceptional age-rated content for children and using our patented technology to enable trusted family and friends to safely share what they find, giving kiddos protected access to an endless stream of high-quality, age-appropriate, personally relevant content and experiences.
Kiddofy’s app is a full browser with restrictions that keep parents in control, giving kiddos access to approved content only. It can be used alongside other browsers, to bring your children the benefit of more great content. However, Kiddofy’s controls work only with the Kiddofy app – it cannot limit what kiddos do using other browsers or Web-enabled apps.
In this blog post, we explain how to setup your child’s device so Kiddofy is their only browser, giving you better control for their safety. This brings families Kiddofy’s full benefits… children get access to great content and parents can easily and safely share the Web with their kiddos, with confidence they’ll have access to approved websites only.
If you just want the instructions, jump ahead here.
In our blog post, How To Help Your Child Enjoy the Web Safely, we make the case for allowing younger kiddos access to approved content only – everything else should be blocked. For those times when they need less restricted access temporarily, whether for schoolwork or fun, we believe it’s important for parents to supervise their browsing. That is, keep an eye on where they’re going and what they’re experiencing. Kiddofy was designed for these modes of sharing the Web with your kiddo and provides everything you need to help them enjoy the Web safely.
Note: Kiddofy provides the most when it is your child’s only browser, but it’s also a valuable app for your child when they use it alongside other browsers. See more here: Who is Kiddofy for?
Kiddofy’s safe browser allows children access to their approved content only and blocks everything else. However, Kiddofy cannot control other browsers / apps on your child’s device that also provide Web access. To ensure your kiddo’s access is limited to what’s approved with Kiddofy, you must disable Safari (Apple’s built-in browser) and any other browsers (e.g., Chrome and Firefox) installed on your child’s device. But don’t worry… you can always add them back.
Before we give you instructions (below), let’s walk through some benefits of Kiddofy for parents when it’s used as your child’s only browser:
Parents can do this from their own device and settings take affect across all their kiddo’s devices, at home and away.
When limiting kiddos’ access to what’s been approved, we have the challenge of supply. That is, kids don’t have much to enjoy when everything is blocked. They need adults to find and approve websites, but it’s hard for anyone to find all the great online experiences on their own. The other challenge is discovery. Without access to search engines (recommended), it’s hard for kiddos to find things on their own.
Without Kiddofy, children would have only what their parents find and approve. Recognizing this, Kiddofy helps bring kiddos more of the Web’s best content by providing the following:
See more about our features here: What is Kiddofy?
There are 3 steps to setting up Kiddofy as your child’s only browser.
If you haven’t already, install Kiddofy from the App Store on your device(s) and your child’s.
If you’re setting up Kiddofy for the first time, begin by installing the Kiddofy app on your device and creating your account. Then, add your child to your account using the Add a Kiddo button on the People tab of the Kiddofy app.
Touch the Add a Kiddo button on the People tab of the Kiddofy app.
Important: Only adults have Kiddofy accounts. Never share your Kiddofy password with your child.
After you’ve installed Kiddofy on your child’s devices, be sure they are selected as the current Kiddofy user on each device. This is so the Kiddofy controls you’ve arranged are enforced when they’re using Kiddofy. If you are selected as the current user, Kiddofy will think the user is an adult (you) and your child will have open access to the Web (not what you want) and freedom to change their own controls.
Sign in to Kiddofy and select your child as the user.
Once you’ve added your kiddos to your account, you can select them as the user when you sign in (with your account) on their device (see screenshot above).
If already signed in as yourself, touch Set Kiddo as User on the People tab of the Kiddofy app and select your child.
If you’re signed into your child’s device and have yourself set as the current user, use the Set Kiddo as User button on the People tab and then select your child (added to your account previously). You can also Sign Out and then back in. Kiddofy will ask you to select who will be using Kiddofy (described above).
Once they’re selected as the user, Kiddofy will remember them until the Sign Out button is touched. Then, your account credentials will be needed to sign in again. This prevents kiddos from changing the user on their own.
On your child’s device(s), find and remove all apps that function as a browser. This includes Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, etc. We’ll disable Safari using Screen Time, below.
To remove an app, touch and hold the app’s icon on the Home Screen, tap Remove App from the menu that appears, and then select Delete App to remove it from the device.
You can also remove apps using the App Library. Find the app’s icon in the App Library. Touch and hold the icon. Tap Delete App and then Delete.
See Apple’s guidance for removing apps from iPhones, here:
Note: Apps can be reinstalled anytime, but any configuration settings or user data they hold could be lost when they’re deleted.
We’ll use Apple’s Screen Time to setup the needed restrictions on your child’s devices. It’s included at no additional charge with iPhone’s, iPad’s, and Macs.
Note: In this post, we assume you’re familiar with Screen Time. If you’re new to Screen Time or haven’t yet set it up for your kiddo, please see our blog post, Kiddofy’s Guide to Apple’s Screen Time, for instructions and suggestions. Then, continue with the settings described here.
Select Content & Privacy Restrictions.
Confirm restrictions are enabled and select iTunes & App Store Purchases.
With Screen Time enabled for your child, navigate to their Content & Privacy Restrictions and then iTunes & App Store Purchases. If you’re using Apple’s Family Sharing, you can do this from your device (i.e., iPhone, iPad, Mac) and it will apply to all your child’s devices. Otherwise, be sure you are doing this on each of your kiddo’s devices.
Select Don't Allow for Installing Apps.
Select Don’t Allow for Installing Apps. This will prevent your child from adding browsers on their own. However, it also prevents them from installing other apps. A better solution is to use Apple’s Family Sharing, with the Ask to Buy option enabled. This feature sends a request to parents when their kiddo wants to install a new item. Learn more in our blog post.
Note: If you’re using the Ask to Buy feature of Family Sharing, set the Installing Apps option (shown above) to Allow.
Next, we’ll use Screen Time to disable Safari. Don’t worry, you can re-enable it anytime.
Select Allowed Apps.
Disable Safari.
Return to Content & Privacy Restrictions and select Allowed Apps. Then de-select Safari to disable it. Once this is done, the Safari app icon should no longer appear for your child to open / use. You can always re-enable it, permanently or temporarily, by returning here.
Finally, we’ll set Screen Time’s Web content restrictions, which apply to all browsers on your child’s device including Kiddofy. Have a look at other useful options available here and see our blog post for more recommendations.
Select Content Restrictions.
Select Web Content.
Return to Content & Privacy Restrictions and select Content Restrictions. Then select Web Content.
Select Limit Adult Websites.
For Kiddofy to work properly, you must select either Unrestricted or Limit Adult Websites. Even though Kiddofy blocks the adult websites we know about, we recommend you choose Limit Adult Websites for additional protection.
Note: Even if you choose Unrestricted, Kiddofy applies its own controls, allowing your kiddo access to their Kiddofy-approved websites only.
That’s it! Remember, if you prefer to give your child more room to explore with relaxed controls, Kiddofy can do that as well. Check out Kiddofy’s Homework Mode, which relaxes restrictions temporarily, such as when kids are doing homework, or all the time for older kids. Kiddos get freedom to access what they need and know they're accountable because parents can review their Kiddofy activity history anytime, right from their own device. Learn more here.
Finally, if you decide to allow your kiddo access to other browsers, Kiddofy is still a great tool for bringing them more Web content safely and easily. It works right alongside other browsers.
Thank you for helping kids enjoy the Internet safely!
Kiddofy for Apple Mac and mobile devices (e.g., iPhone, iPad, and iPad Touch) is available in the App Store, FREE for families!
